Part 32 (2/2)
”They allers screech like that in the morning.”
”Are you sure they are parrots?” asked the nervous pa.s.senger.
”Dead certain,” answered Mr. Carr. ”If you don't believe it, just go over to yonder trees and shoo them up into the air.”
”I--I don't think I care to do that--they might fly at me and peck me.”
”Well, they are parrots--and they won't hurt you if you leave 'em alone.”
During the morning the search for a spring of water was resumed.
At last they found several pools, the water coming up in them from underground. But the birds used the pools for drinking places and they were consequently far from clean.
”How long are we to stay on this island?” asked Mr. Tarbill, while they were eating a breakfast of broiled birds, fish, and crackers.
”Not very long, I'm thinking,” answered the captain. ”In a storm it wouldn't be a very safe place. The water must sweep the land pretty well, and our boat would be stove to pieces.”
”But where are you going?”
”We'll try to make that big island I spoke about,” went on the captain. Then of a sudden, he bent closer to the nervous man.
”What's that on your watch chain?” he demanded.
”My watch chain?”
”Yes. It looks like a tiny compa.s.s to me.”
”Why--er--it is a compa.s.s,” stammered Mr. Tarbill.
”And you never told us that you had it!” roared the captain.
”I--I forgot it!” stammered the pa.s.senger. ”I--I was so upset, you know.”
”Let me see it.”
Captain Spark took the compa.s.s and examined it with care. It was small, but of good manufacture, and looked as if it might point true.
”Not near as good as the one we lost,” he said to Mr. Carr. ”But it is better than nothing.”
”Indeed it is,” was the reply.
”I thought that was a locket,” said Bob. ”I noticed it on the watch chain several times.”
”It was given to me by my uncle, years ago,” said Mr. Tarbill.
”Please don't lose it.”
”I'll keep it safe, don't fear,” answered the captain. ”Reckon it is safer in my keepin' than yours,” he added.
With the discovery of the tiny compa.s.s the hopes of the castaways revived. All felt that it would be a waste of time to remain on the small island, and accordingly preparations were made to leave on the following morning. To add to their stock of provisions the men and Bob brought down a large quant.i.ty of birds and also caught a lot of fish, and these were broiled and cooked, to keep them from spoiling. They also got what water they could and stored it in a cask, and Bob picked a capful of berries.
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